Friday, June 24th, 2005 ... 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

Had the privilege of interviewing Myra Melford last week, and played the recording on today's show. Very pleasant experience, and Myra's got some great stories to tell.

Today's interview was in preparation for her appearances tonight and tomorrow in San Francisco. She'll be a participant in Three Drops of Blood VI, the latest in a quarterly program put on by Nanos Operetta, a local modern-classical troupe. TDoB mixes music, dance and performance for a different brew each quarter; this weekend's performances include Myra on harmonium (it's like a big accordion, to oversimplify) with dancer Fay Simpson, both of them improvising.

Myra's best known as a pianist, as she came on the scene as the leader of an exciting, crackling trio with Lindsay Horner on bass and Reggie Nicholson on drums. She's branched out nicely, now leading a few different bands that explore twisty inside-out jazz territory.

Our interview got plenty of mileage from the harmonium topic, though, as it's relatively new ground for Myra and led to her eventually getting a grant to study music in India. Check the bio on her Web site for details. Myra says she's got more Bay Area gigs in the works for September 2005, so keep an eye out for those.

Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)

* Myra Melford/The Tent -- "Everything Today" -- Where the Two Worlds Touch (Arabesque, 2004)

Myra's latest CD with a configuration she calls The Tent: Chris Speed (clarinet/sax), Stomu Takeishi (electric and acoustic bass), Cuong Vu (trumpet), Kenny Wolleson (drums). Everyone's been in Myra's bands before -- it's a combination of her groups The Crush and The Same River Twice, and it sort of sums up that whole 1996-2002 phase of her career. Lots of outside jazz lines (but quite palatable to an inside jazz ear), plenty of sophisticated soloing, and the slightest hints of European folk musics.

Another inspiring album from local drummer Scott Amendola, combining jazz with elements of African music for a funky yet occasionally outside-walking brew. Nels Cline is Scott's usual guitarist, and for this album he's added Jeff Parker, a prominant Chicago guitarist. Jenny Scheinman on violin (yes!) and John Shifflett on bass round out the band. Great stuff, a don't-miss album.

Guitar rock instrumentals: drifty, slow, relaxing. Not all of their song titles are as unsubtle as this one.

* Chicago Luzern Exchange -- "Five Handfuls" -- Several Lights (Delmark, 2005)

Both of these are short tracks, totaling 5 minutes together. Considering most artists get 8 or 10 minutes of on-air time, I decided to give these guys their share. Ironically, I think short tracks probably get more memory retention than longer ones, when it comes to casual listeners. In this case, I ended one set with a C.L.E. track, did a PSA, then started the next set with C.L.E., so they got kind of a double-billing out of it. What the heck.

*! Psychograss -- "Stroll of the Mudbug" -- Now Hear This (Adventure Music, 2005)

Famed bluegrass band fronted by Darol Anger (violin) and Mike Marshall (mandolin), two guys famous for their new-age jazzy recordings that go back to the '80s. Fast, fast stuff, and fun.

* Wolfgang Fuchs Sextet -- "An Illegible Memory" -- Six Fuchs (Rastascan, 2004)

* Myra Melford's Crush -- "Dance Beyond the Color" -- Dance Beyond the Color (Arabesque, 2000)
* Myra Melford Trio -- "Frank Lloyd Wright Goes West to Rest" -- Jump (Enemy, 1990)

Two tracks of Myra in trio. The first is more recent, with Stomu Takeishi on bass (electric, sometimes!) and Kenny Wolleson, ex-Bay-Area dude, on drums. The second is from her debut album with Lindsay Horner and Reggie Nicholson. Two different sounds anchored by Myra's distinctive piano; the first album is more "directly" jazz-oriented, while the second has a more expansive feel. Myra really really tears it up on "Wright," and you can see why she got a lot of attention early in her career.

A nice ballad dedicated to author June Jordan, who died in 2002. Parker's liner notes say this one has lyrics which he hopes to record someday.

Duet of Tom Cora on cello and Samm Bennett on percussion and samples, recorded back in the Knitting Factory's heyday. A very '80s NYC-avant sound, which I found got me a bit nostalgic. Discovered too late that Myra Melford is actually on one track of this!

Yes, the Pink Floyd composition! Cellist Lonberg-Holm puts together a number of covers on this moody, jazzy album -- from folks like Wilco and Gil Scott-Heron.

Big, dense free jazz, four tracks ranging 9 to 23 minutes. A high degree of difficulty but lots of action-packed work here.

Myra Melford interview, part 1

Myra Melford -- "Be Bread" -- Unreleased demo

Featuring the harmonium and a banjo, this upcoming project is a quartet (5 band members, only 4 playing at a time). This particular track comes out with an agile, twiny line, with heavy touches of Eastern European folk.

* Myra Melford/The Tent -- "No News at All" -- Where the Two Worlds Touch (Arabesque, 2004)

From Myra's latest album, a track that begins with street sounds of Calcutta recorded by Myra. Another nice showcase for the harmonium.

* Myra Melford/The Tent -- "Where the Ocean Misquotes the Sky" -- Where the Two Worlds Touch (Arabesque, 2004)

A 12-minute track, slow and patient at first, with harmonium in the first half and piano in the second. Energetic with a mid/fast pace and some pretty harmonies. A nice palette featuring Myra on both instruments.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.